Are Darker Skin African Women Less or More Beautiful?…GC Staff Shares Her Experience23 Comments

Writing this article hits home for me personally. I am a Ghanaian and a young dark skin woman. Growing up I was always taunted at school due to my course hair texture, full lips, large nose, and dark skin.

At one point as a young teenager; I disliked myself and tried to secretly bleach because I did not fit into the norm of beauty in the American society. I stopped bleaching quickly after realizing the health risks.

Light skinned girls were always favored in society as well as chased by boys no matter if they were beautiful or not. I never understood this complex enterprise.

At one point I tried out for modeling because I fit the description for height and weight. During auditions, I was ushered into next rounds however, upon final decisions, I was told I am model material but my skin tone was not ‘in’ for the season. I always got upset but my mother angrily screamed at them in Twi.

Entering college was worse. I attended a predominately African American university so I thought my image would be more accepted. I was wrong. Instead many African American and African men and women would tell me “You are so beautiful…for a dark skin girl!”.

I was completely dumbfounded. I did not know how to respond to that because I did not think this would be an issue at a Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU). Nevertheless, at that point in my life, how I viewed myself had been transformed so my self-esteem and self-worth was intact.

Surprisingly enough, I was always complimented by Caucasian people for my blemish free, even skin tone. Caucasian men and women would always stop to ask my secret for maintaining a healthy even glow, full beautiful hair, and defined facial features and body. I simply told them that I am African; I drink lots of water, use shea butter for my skin, exercise, and eat healthy. Their responses were “You are so beautiful! Period!”.

As life went on, at the workplace, light skin African American and sometimes African women would approach me and tell me how they wish they were like me. Again I was struck.

All this time as a teenager, I wanted to be like them and come to find out they want to be like me…I asked why? In response they would admit that the darker skin women are exotic, beautiful, and free from skin diseases such as melanoma and even aging.

In conclusion, I love myself regardless of what society thinks is beautiful. I am proud to say that I am a gorgeous and proud African woman loving my beautiful skin. What are your thoughts? Are you a dark skin woman and loving it?

Its not about beauty.The reason why men chase light skinned women more is because they look more feminine to be exact.I have perceived many dark women to be way hotter than light skin women but i still feel more attracted to light skinned women because they look more vulnerable and feminine.
Just an opinion.

@Metaphor, whats ur definition of feminine?Because so far as am concerned that word has a lot to do with body features and I bet all my black sisters have that most powerful features.Havent u seen a light skin girl who has that manly looks?Anyway, just like u said, its ur opinion!

i like this article it make me proud to be black african guy a real GHANAIN to be precise (:
i have never felt insecure because am a proud CHOCOLATE GUY with a nice hair….
i want my CHOCOLATE sisters to stop bleaching and feel safe in their skin COLOUR .

my girlfriend use to call me chocolate and am proud of being BLACK MAN(:

Good topic but seriously Its amazing how people can say the most ignorant things, and not be aware of what they’re really saying, isn’t it? That’s such a racist remark, and chances are they’re too stupid to know how racist it really is no one would approach an older woman and say, hey you look really good for your age! That’s really rude. Even amongst black people there is racism against light v. dark skinned. I think if you have an even skin tone and nice complexion no matter the shade then you have beautiful skin dark skinned women are just as beautiful as fair skinned women and everything in between I can’t even imagine finding someone unattractive because of the color and/or shade of their skin Women are beautiful in all races I’m sure you’re beautiful for just as you are you need to surround yourself with people who feel the same
Whether not being attracted to a particular race is racist or not is debatable a person can’t help their choice i don’t think it’s oppressive but I have a personal opinion that it’s closed minded and ignorant Nonetheless if someone is not attracted to a particular race is one thing that doesn’t mean they should make ignorant racist remarks about it If they felt the desire to tell you that you look beautiful for a dark skinned girl they should keep their mouth shut, because it’s rude at best
How would a caucasian girl feel if someone told her that she looked cute for a pale skinned white girl? That’s a stupid thing to say, plain and simple

well i like me as a dark skin person, i find lighter skin also beautiful, at times i dont knw really if it depends on the skin or outward appearance or the way the person carries himself.i love men who r dark too but i like chrisbrown, i dnt even knw, i dnt fink its the skin……. I love jackie appias skin as well as nadias. Infact i love jackies smile too. hmm i fink even if u are dark skin n have a nice smile it attracts men too. I am so happy i met the man i am with now. He got charmed with my smile, i know nobody can stand my smile but then later, he told me how he loves my dark skin. i was trying to bleach, started buying fade creams to lighten up my colour but then i started getting more complement about my skin so i stopped. You cannot imagine me looking for a cream that can actually make me darker…funny right but its true..

people what are you saying? people only think that light skinned people are good looking because they have lighter skin. dark skinned people who have a relationship with light skinned people actually want to be with a white person. this is a division that the colonialism did to us. I personally think that darker skinned people are much better looking than light skinned people. I have ZERO attraction to light skinned people. it was the white man that did this and we continue to follow buy bleaching her skin by wearing weaves and weeks and some even wear colored contacts. africans are the most beautiful in their natural state. that is what do Europeans saw when they reached our shores. they saw men with the body of beasts. They most beautiful women I have ever seen. europeans really don’t like to be with light skinned black people. they always want to be with the one that looks like the darkest and the strongest features. being in our natural skin color and with our natural hair we are the most intimidating to the white man. in conclusion, darker stronger and better.

@ap, Funny thing is no matter how light or pale you look, if you dont have the silky hair, no blue or green eyes, and you have boobs/hips the white man still considers you black, stop spending your money on bleaching creams, as far as the Europeans preferring darker skin to light skin women,they know that the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice.

@ap, OMG!!! I could kiss you whoever you are for your comment. My sentiments exactly cause it just pains me to hear and see the stupidness that can really comes from people’s mouth. God made us all in His image and their is nothing ugly about God. we all are beautiful no matter what color we are. I’m a black Jamaican woman living in Florida and am so happy to be dark skin and beautiful.

Well God had a good reason why He created everyone the way they look.So if you think He was wrong , then go ahead and use all those chemicals on ur skin and skin cancer would be smiling at you soon..90% of all those bleacing/fading creams contains hydroquinone which is as dangerous as anything you can think of..It might glow ur skin today, but destroy it tomorrow.

this article was a breathe of fresh air. I’m a teenaged south afriacan dark skinned girl, constantly trying to make myself lighter because of what high school expects of ‘girls’. Even the media, with so many celebs having preference for light girls. Thank you for an opinion from another beautiful, dark skinned, African woman…